Brothers Turned
by Paulina Ann
Summary: *COMPLETE* Keith and Lance are like brothers. But what happens if Haggar concocts something that turns them against each other? What happens when jealousy and anger fuel their actions?
1. Chapter 1

**Brothers Turned **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.

**Rating/Setting: **Rated T for mild swearing and some violence. Setting is DotU.

**Chapter One**

Koba hissed as Lotor knocked a beaker containing some unknown green liquid to the floor of Haggar's laboratory. The liquid made a hissing sound similar to Koba's as it spread across the cold stone floor and a thick lavender vapor quickly arose from it and then dissipated. "Why did you bring me here,Witch? I don't believe that Allura has romantic feelings for the commander. He's only a pilot!" His words sounded confident but his tone and his eyes said something different.

Cackling at him, Haggar waved her hand and the glass shards from the broken beaker disappeared. "Why, noble prince, you do not believe your own eyes? The moments in time that I have shown you indicate Princess Allura is in love with Commander Kogane."

Rounding quickly, he raised a fist toward her. "You can make whatever you want appear in that crystal ball, Haggar… if it suits your purpose."

Noticing the lack of conviction in his tone, she continued, "You know it was nothing that I have to contrive. It is there for your own viewing. The knowledge is implanted in your own memories… how the commander has put himself at risk for her. More than is necessary for a soldier."

"Arrrrrg. It still doesn't explain why you brought me here. Did you just want to torment me with the images?"

There was true anger in his voice and if she didn't have her magic, she would have been afraid. As it was, she was hoping that his anger would fuel her plan. "I brought you here because I wanted to tell you of the plan that I have to break the Voltron Force."

Making a dismissive gesture, Lotor turned to leave the dark laboratory. "You've tried to destroy Voltron many times and have failed as many times. On another day, I would stay and hear you out, but not today old crone."

She had expected him to be oppositional, but she knew how to stop him in his tracks. "You mistook me, Lotor. I didn't say that I would break Voltron. I will break the Voltron _Force_. Wouldn't you love to see them turn on each other… perhaps even _kill_ each other?" Haggar was pleased to see the prince stop and give a slight glance over his shoulder.

"I would enjoy seeing those Alliance pilots tear each other to bits, but Allura is part of the Voltron Force and I do not want her harmed."

"Are you willing to listen to the plan?"

Lotor turned to face her, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "I will listen, but if it is nonsense, I'll toss that flea-bitten cat of yours into the arena with the robeasts."

"I have a spy in the castle, he is the reason I have managed to get some of the images I have shown you. I have given the spy two drugs. One for the commander and one for his second-in-command, McClain, the pilot of the Red Lion."

The prince stroked his chin as he asked for details, "What do these drugs do? Will it kill them?

"No it will not, the scanning procedures they have for ingested items would turn up a deadly poison. These drugs will not cause any alarms to sound. Instead of killing the two pilots, the drugs will cause personality changes. Kogane's drug will make him jealous of other men in Allura's life, and by what my lackey says, McClain is one of her close friends. Kogane will start to turn on his friend. McClain's drug will increase his anger and natural tendency for rash action. In a short time, the two will soon be at each other's throats. In battle, they will be slower and not as coordinated. We may be able to defeat them by this alone."

"And if we can't, Haggar?"

"I expect that one of them will lose patience with the other. One of them could die. At the very least, their bond will be irreparably broken and the Alliance will recall them."

"This plan sounds promising and I like that I don't have to do anything but reap the rewards. How soon can you administer the drugs?" Looking at Haggar's face, Lotor said, "Let me guess, you've already done it." Seeing her nod, he asked, "Have you seen any effect yet?"

"The spy indicates that the commander was irritable with the whole team yesterday after Lion practice. He doubled the practice time for today. I am sure that they will not meet his expectations, which will only make him and McLain more irritable toward each other."

"How long with this potion last?"

"My Prince, it is a combination of chemicals and magic. The chemical part will last about a week, the magic part, well, that is more uncertain. The magic will be dependent on the feelings of anger and jealousy. If other strong emotions are allowed to surface, then the magic will be broken."

Lotor smiled and rejoined, "Then let's hope that feelings such as love and friendship don't arise."

Haggar's mouth turned up in an evil grin as Koba jumped onto the table. Rubbing the cat's back as he hissed, she crooned at him, "See my pet, you don't have to worry about the robeasts. The prince approves of our plan."

Grunting in her direction, Lotor said, "I admit, Haggar, it has promise and since my father won't know if it fails, I like it even more. Keep me updated."

Koba hissed with displeasure as Haggar stopped stroking his fur and turned back to her crystal ball. "There will be time for that later kitty. Right now, I want to see how the potions are working."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.

**Just for clarity. This is a stand alone and not part of any story arc. **

**Rating/Setting: **Rated T for mild swearing and some violence. Setting is DotU.

**Chapter Two**

"Geez, Princess, I don't know what is going on with Keith. He's been crankier than usual the last couple of days." Looking over at the princess, Lance continued to punch the bag. The truth was, he was getting really irritated at Keith himself.

"I just don't understand it, Lance. He's given me the cold shoulder several times and acted like I should know why he's bothered. I can't think of anything."

After taking one last swing at the bag, he turned to face Allura and saw Keith watching them from the other side of the room. "Well, why don't you ask him, he's standing over there."

Glancing unhappily over her shoulder, she took in the sour look on Keith's face. Turning back to Lance she ruefully said, "I don't know, he doesn't look very happy."

"Well, a 'happy look' is always relative with Keith. And I guess it doesn't really matter as he's heading over here right now." Lance took in the unhappy look on Allura's face and started getting angry at Keith. There was no reason for him to be treating the team, and especially the princess, this way. Someone should tell him to lay off, and that someone would be him. So when Keith got closer, Lance stepped around so that he was between Keith and Allura.

Keith's eyes narrowed as he approached the pair. They had seemed to be in a serious discussion when he came in. In fact, they had only just noticed him. "Well, you two look cozy. What's going on?"

Lance spoke up, "We were just talking about how cranky you've been lately. It's actually been a little much, Keith."

Keith took in how Lance was shielding Allura from him. It was like he was protecting her. It was like… they were involved with each other. Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "You will address me as Commander, Lieutenant. And if you have a problem with orders, then you should make an appointment to speak with me. In private."

Stepping out from behind Lance, Allura said, "We were just worried, Kei- um, Commander. You just didn't seem like yourself."

Noticing how close the princess remained to Lance and then to see her reach out a hand and place it on the lieutenant's arm made his blood boil. He was right in his observations over the last couple of days. She had led him on, causing him to think that she was interested in him, when it was really Lance all along. His tone dripped of anger and sarcasm as he responded to her honest concern, "Well, perhaps I am just following protocol and expect that my team be able to follow it as well. I've been too lax and let the guys get away with things in the past that should have been addressed. Expect this to be the norm from now on." He didn't even notice Allura's stunned look as he turned on his heel and left the gym.

"What was that about?" Allura asked with true disbelief in her tone. When Lance didn't answer, she looked over to see him scowling and clenching his fists. Her concern for Keith now transferred to Lance as she watched him return to punching the bag, muttering things like 'uptight' and 'asshole.' What was going on with the team? Well, with Keith and Lance at least. She would speak with Hunk and Pidge. Stopping at the gym door, she turned to watch Lance continue to pound the bag. He didn't even notice that she was leaving. Concern etched her lovely face as the door closed behind her.

Allura found Hunk and Pidge covered in greasy oil in the belly of Green Lion in the repair bay. After she brought them up to speed on what happened in the gym, she sat back to get their opinions.

Scratching his head, Hunk said, "Keith said he had been lax on protocol? Keith? Lax on protocol? That doesn't make sense. I mean, yeah, he lets us slide a little here and there, but it's never on anything big. He has always held us to the standards of Galaxy Garrison. I mean, he holds himself to an even higher standard, but he expects us to follow the rules too."

"I know. That's what I was thinking." Allura had hoped that Hunk could help, but he sounded as perplexed as she was, so she turned to Pidge. He might be the youngest of the team, but he sometimes noticed details that his older teammates missed out on. "Pidge, what do you think?"

"Well, Keith's always been a stickler so it's not that out of character, even though it is a little over the top. I was thinking about Lance. You said that he was calling Keith names as he hit the punching bag?" Seeing her nod, he continued, "He and Keith are like brothers. Keith's been irritated with Lance before and it didn't cause Lance to act like that."

Hunk broke in, "But Lance's has always been known to have a short fuse. I'm sure he'll be over it by dinner. Just watch and see."

"Maybe you're right, Hunk," Allura said without a lot of conviction. "We'll see how they are at dinner tonight."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dinner was awful. Allura watched as Keith glared at Lance, and Lance glared back. What was going on? Hunk and Pidge also wore looks of concern now. They had tried to engage the two men in conversation, but neither wanted to talk, instead, they wanted to give each other dirty looks. After what seemed to be an eternity, Keith finally stood up to go.

"Lion practice at 0500 tomorrow morning. Everyone needs to be punctual." He said this to everyone but his gaze was on Lance.

"Sure thing, Keith, uh, I mean, Commander." Sarcasm dripped from Lance's words causing Keith to clench his fists at his sides.

As Keith left the dining hall, everyone looked at Lance.

"What was that about, Lance?" Hunk asked what everyone was thinking.

"I'm tired of Commander Uptight singling me out and taking such a self-righteous tone. I mean, did any of you think that his comment about being punctual was really necessary?"

No one knew quite what to say at this point, and the silence in the room was heavy. Lion practice tomorrow was going to be tough if Keith and Lance continued like this. Allura darted glances at Lance as she finished her dessert. He was staring at his plate and moving food around on it but not eating. This was not normal behavior for her two friends. Tomorrow she would ask Dr. Gorma about a possible medical cause. Pidge had been correct in saying they were like brothers, but now it was like they had turned on each other and she was very worried.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.

**Rating/Setting: **Rated T for mild swearing and some violence. Setting is DotU.

**Chapter Three**

0459

The Force is assembled and waiting in Castle Control. Everyone can see that Keith is seething when Lance strolls in and looks at his watch.

"Well, here I am, and look," pointing to his watch, "it has just turned 0500. Punctual. That's what you can call me."

Turning on his heel, Keith strode towards his chute calling out, "To the Lions!"

The practice went downhill from there. Keith yelled at and criticized all of them. After berating Allura for a slow response to an order, Lance retorted, "Stop picking on the princess, Keith. You know there was nothing wrong with her response time. You're just looking to nitpick things."

"Oh really, Lieutenant? Well, your performance has given me plenty of things to talk about in the debriefing. And why didn't you speak up when I was correcting Hunk or Pidge?" Keith was irritated at all of them, but at Lance in particular. After seeing Lance and Allura in the gym together, he had gone back to his office and brooded over their behavior. Now, here Lance was once again, putting himself in the role of Allura's protector. Were they playing him for a fool? He stopped his ruminations when Lance responded.

"I spoke up because she won't say it herself. You've probably made her too nervous by your erratic behavior."

"Is that true, Princess? Are you too timid to speak up or is there more to Lance defending you?" Keith rejoined angrily.

"Hey, Captain, I'm sure that Lance didn't mean-"

"Not now, Hunk, I was speaking to the princess. Well, Princess?" Keith keyed his monitor to Allura's. "Is there something I should know?"

"Keith, I don't know what you mean! There isn't anything 'more' with Lance. And no, I'm not too timid, but you haven't been acting like yourself for days."

Infuriated, Keith called out, "Practice is over. No debriefing session today."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Exiting the medical wing, she didn't have any answers. Dr. Gorma didn't have any ideas regarding Lance and Keith. He suggested that they come in for some blood work. Perhaps it was something viral. Allura had almost laughed at the thought of asking either of them to submit to any type of medical exam. She hadn't laughed, but it was funny in its own way. Unfortunately, something more serious would have to happen for them to submit to an exam.

Walking absentmindedly toward the balcony overlooking Castle Lake, she didn't notice that she was being shadowed.

Keying her com unit, Allura called Lance and asked him to meet her at the balcony.

Keith tensed up when he heard her call Lance for a private meeting. Why would she be calling Lance to meet her on the balcony if it wasn't for a romantic rendezvous? He didn't think Allura was to blame, in fact he still loved her, but Lance was known for leading women on and then dropping them after he was done with them. Well, he'd make sure that Lance paid for trifling with the princess. Keith didn't realize that all of his thoughts didn't fit together, but that was the nature of the drug that he had unknowingly taken. Not wanting to see the woman he loved in a romantic situation with his former best friend, he decided to go back to his room and plan what he would do to make Lance pay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What is it, Princess?" Irritation radiated from his person as he stood beside her on the balcony.

Thinking she could reason with Lance better than Keith, she had called him to the balcony. Now she wasn't sure.

"Well, Princess? What is it? I've got things to do."

"It's just… well, it's just that you've started to act unusual, just like Keith-"

"You think I'm acting like that jerk?!"

Startled at his tone, she took a step back. "It's not that you acting like him so much as you aren't acting like yourself. I've never seen you this angry before."

"With the way the commander has been acting, don't you think that I have a right to be angry? I don't know why you, Pidge, and Hunk think I should be happy with how Keith is treating us."

"What do you mean Pidge and Hunk?" Allura didn't realize that Pidge or Hunk had said anything to Lance.

"After Lion practice they actually asked me about seeing Doctor Gorma. Like _I _had something wrong with _me_. Keith's the one that needs to be examined… and by a head shrink too if you ask me." With that he left her on the balcony.

Sighing as she watched him stalk away, Allura turned to look out at Black Lion. She was glad that Hunk and Pidge had tried to get Lance to see reason; it just didn't look like he wanted to. Her gaze lingered on Black. What was going on with the man she secretly loved? What could she do to get him back and help Lance too?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Both Lance and Keith had skipped dinner and neither had joined the team in the rec room that evening. Keith had also done the unthinkable – he had canceled Lion practice for the next day. But no one was going to miss a repeat of this morning's Lion practice. Allura just hoped the doctors could find something to cure her friends.

So, Allura, Hunk, and Pidge spent an unproductive evening talking about the two men that were the center of the drama. When Allura left the rec room, she had a headache from all the worried thoughts that were in her head. Even with the headache, she didn't want to go to her chambers yet. It wasn't like she was going to fall asleep anytime soon with her friends acting so erratically. She walked once again onto her favorite balcony that overlooked the lake and Black Lion. However, this time she wasn't alone when she arrived and it was too late to escape.

Keith turned to look at the beautiful woman he loved. His imagination had run wild that afternoon thinking about Allura and Lance on the balcony. He was certain Lance had kissed her, but had he done more? Had Allura _allowed_ more?

She watched as the warm look in his eyes turned cold. It was a look she had never seen directed at her and she involuntarily put a hand to her chest and fingered her necklace. It was a nervous habit and it did nothing to help.

"Is something wrong, Princess?"

'_Oh Keith_,' she thought, '_there is so much wrong_.' She knew he wouldn't acknowledge it, so she didn't try to reason with him. "Why yes, I have a headache, Keith. I thought a little fresh air would do me good." She walked up to stand next to him and looked out over the lake. "This is one of my favorite views. I love looking across the lake at your Lion. The moonlight makes it even more magical, don't you think?" She was hoping that he would notice that she singled out his Lion.

Moving so that he was standing behind her, he placed his hands on her arms and felt her shiver under his touch. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "That's nice, Allura, but what romantic words did you say to Lance this afternoon?"

Allura's eyes had closed as he had touched her arms. For so long she had wanted to be on this balcony, with him, in the dark. The spell was broken with his words and she gasped as she turned to face him. "What are you talking about? What romantic words? I didn't have romantic words with Lance!"

He admitted to himself that she sounded truthful, but the potion wouldn't let him accept it as truth. "Do you deny that you were on this balcony with Lance this afternoon?"

"No, but I-"

"Do you deny that _**you**_ called him here yourself?" He moved back in towards her so that she was against the railing and they were almost touching.

"I admit that I called him, but you haven't let me explain why I did!" She was angry that he kept cutting her off.

"I don't need an explanation, Allura, I know what the two of you were up to. You led me on, Allura, I thought you cared about me and it was Lance the whole time!"

She couldn't even speak. What was he talking about? It was ridiculous.

"I think I deserve something, Princess, so I'm going to take it." His arms reached out to pull her into a crushing embrace and then he kissed her.

It was a moment that Allura had dreamed about – kissing Keith. But this wasn't her Keith. His mouth wasn't gentle, it was rough and demanding. This wasn't about love; this was about jealousy, possession, and anger. She pushed back from him and slapped him, leaving a red handprint on his face.

He looked at her ruefully as he put a hand to his face. "I probably deserved that, but I figured that since Lance has done that… and maybe more, it was the least I deserved."

Seething with fury, Allura lashed out, "Lance has never kissed me! He would never dare to insult me as you have. What is wrong with you?! You aren't the man I fell in love with," she spat at him. "Get out of my sight and never dare to touch me again!" She turned her back on him and looked back into the dark of the night. Her whole body heaved with the emotion she was feeling. He hadn't responded and she was happy that he hadn't. This version of Keith would have no good answers for her. Tomorrow she would go to Coran and they would contact Galaxy Garrison and get them to order evaluations for Keith and Lance. She just hoped the doctors could find something to cure her friends of whatever had afflicted them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lotor and Haggar looked at each other over the crystal ball. She had been able to snag a few images from the castle. There was a bond between her and the potions that Keith and Lance had taken. It allowed her to see things from time to time.

"Well done, Witch. Do you think we should attack them with a robeast now? I'm not sure they would be able to function." Lotor was smiling as he spoke. He could sense victory in the near future and he pictured the princess in his arms.

"Not yet, my Prince. If McClain were the Black Lion I would say yes, because his anger would cause him to act rashly. However, the commander is better able to control his anger and he would still be motivated to protect Princess Allura. Voltron would still be a functional weapon with him in control."

"So you're saying we should wait." It was obvious that this wasn't his first choice.

"You have seen them in the crystal. Do you really think we have a long time to wait?"

Leaning his head back and laughing, Lotor said, "No, I don't think we will have to wait very long. I doubt they can control themselves for even a day or two more."

"Tomorrow will prove to be an interesting day, my Prince. I think it will be one that leads us to victory."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.

**Rating/Setting: **Rated T for mild swearing and some violence. Setting is DotU.

**Chapter Four**

After leaving Allura on the balcony, Keith had returned to his room. His jealousy was searching for a way to ease his pain, so he called Lance on his com with an idea. "Lance, this is Keith."

"What? You mean it's not 'Lieutenant, this is the commander?' I'm shocked. Are you sure you're following protocol?"

Pushing his anger to the side, Keith responded, "I'm calling as a-," he stopped himself from saying friend and opted for something else. "I'm calling unofficially, not as your commanding officer."

"Well, this sounds intriguing. What do you want to talk about 'unofficially'?"

Lance's sarcasm was really starting to grate on Keith. "I thought we could meet tomorrow morning at 0600 in the gym and maybe work out some of our differences in the ring. Are you interested?"

"0600 huh? The team won't expect us to be in the gym together that early, so there won't be anyone to save your ass."

Keith didn't take the bait. "So that means you're in?"

"Let's clarify this. By 'in the ring,' did you mean boxing or your MMA crap?" Lance was needling him and enjoying every moment.

Knowing that Lance would want to box, he had a plan in mind. "Since I know your martial arts skills are not up to mine, I thought we could alternate between styles. We'll start round one with boxing, round two martial arts, and then alternate between the two. Five minute rounds with two minute breaks between rounds. Ten rounds total."

Lance whistled. "You must really want to do this. Sounds like you've worked it all out. So, when I kick your butt, there won't be any type of reprimand, official or unofficial?"

"None."

"Deal."

"See you in the morning. Try to be punctual. Keith out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

0600

Both men were dressed in trunks with their MMA style gloves on and warming up in the gym when 0600 came around. They were oblivious to the level of concern that their friends felt for them. In addition, neither had an inkling that anything was amiss. The only thing that they were aware of was the undeniable urge to satisfy their Doom-induced passions. Keith wanted to satiate his jealous rage regarding Allura, and Lance wanted to find relief for anger over imagined slights from his commanding officer.

"Rules?" Lance asked.

"Ten rounds total. No low blows, no eye gouging. At the end of ten if we're both still standing, then it's a tie. We only stop for a knockout or a tapout." Keith had thought this out the night before.

"Agreed."

Setting the bell to sound in five minutes, both men climbed into the ring and sized each other up. They had sparred numerous times, but never with the purpose to intentionally hurt the other. There had been a number of injuries that included broken bones and cuts that required stitches. What would the result be without the barrier of friendship to temper their aggression and skills?

It wasn't surprising when Lance threw the first punch. Keith was an all-around good fighter, but Lance specialized in boxing and knew that if he were to come out as the winner he had to be strong in the boxing rounds. The blow was partially blocked by Keith but grazed his ribs. Keith countered with a combination of punches. They continued to trade blows with some landing and some being blocked. They were so intent on hurting each other, that they didn't do much dancing around to avoid fighting. When the bell rang, they were both breathing heavily. There would be bruises from the round, but there wasn't any blood, but then it was early on.

The second round played to Keith's strengths. There was still a boxing element but the use of kicks, grappling, and holds put Lance at a disadvantage. Keith opened with a series of kicks that landed on Lance's body causing him to grunt in pain. Then they took turns landing body strikes. Keith tried a leg kick that missed and Lance saw his chance. Rushing Keith, he grabbed him below his hips and lifting him up, he slammed him to the floor landing in full guard. Keith cursed at himself for allowing this to happen, but he quickly moved to limit the damage from his error. He quickly locked his ankles around Lance and reached his arms around Lance's torso holding him in a type of bear hug. Lance struggled to lift up to get in a position to ground and pound Keith, but Keith's hold didn't allow for it. He was left with partial hits to Keith's head and sides, which were largely ineffective due to the lack of power behind the blows.

"What's wrong Keith? Waiting for the bell to save you?"

Lance's full weight was basically on him and he refused to answer as it would just show the pressure that weight was putting on him. There was no cowardice in putting someone in a hold that kept you from getting hurt. Let Lance break his hold if he could. Thirty seconds later, the bell rung and they released each other for their two minute break.

Lance rinsed his mouth with water and spit in the bucket. Keith had landed a blow to his face that caused a tooth to break the skin inside his mouth. The taste of blood only spurred him on to have Keith taste the same. So when the bell rang for round three and boxing, he was ready. He landed a jab to Keith's face causing a cut to open above his eye, sending blood down to blur his vision. Lance smiled. The cut could only help him and distract Keith. The round continued with Lance landing a number of vicious blows. Keith's ribs and midsection were aching from the blows, but his adrenaline was still flowing and fueled by Haggar's potion. When the bell rang he moved quickly to apply what he could to stop the bleeding. As long as Lance didn't land a direct blow to the same spot, the wound shouldn't hinder his vision for the next round and Keith was hoping that the next round would be the last.

Dropping the meds as the bell sounded, Keith rounded quickly and took Lance down this time. Lance hadn't expected him to recover so quickly from the last round and now he would pay for it. Keith was an expert at grappling and if they stayed on the ground, it was just a matter of time before he submitted Lance.

Lance cursed at himself for not being prepared for Keith's rush. Now he was in the position Keith was in earlier, except that Keith was better at maneuvering on the mat. While Lance was trying to stand up, Keith grabbed his left wrist and pulled him down throwing his legs across Lance's chest and stretching out his long body pulling Lance's left arm taunt. Lance tried to move out of the armbar, but the pain only increased. His eyes strained to find the clock. Three minutes until the round ended. His curses became louder and more numerous.

"End it, Lance!" Keith called. "Tap!"

Lance gritted his teeth. He didn't want to tap out, but if he didn't, Keith could and most likely would, dislocate his shoulder. Then Keith would be all over him. He wouldn't be able to get the shoulder back in before Keith began his next assault. A cry of pain escaped him as he thought this through.

"Don't make me dislocate it! You know I will!" Keith was tempted to just go ahead and pull the joint apart; it would be satisfying to hear Lance cry out with the pain. Just as he was about to pop the shoulder, he felt Lance's tap. "Say it, Lance!"

"Tap! Damn it! Tap!"

Keith let go and rolled off. Moving to the corner, he grabbed the water bottle and squirted some water into his mouth and then poured several ounces over his head. The cool water felt good. Grabbing the towel, he wiped off some of the water from his face and sweat from his body. Turning, he noticed that Lance had left the ring and was sitting on a bench near the wall. For the moment, his blood lust was cooled by his victory but he wanted to rub it in just a little bit more. Grabbing his tee shirt, he pulled it over his head as he moved over to Lance. If his mind hadn't been clouded by the drug, he might have noticed that one of the combat knives they trained with was missing from the wall near Lance.

Lance had left the ring in a haze of pain and anger. Actually, anger didn't do the rage that he felt justice. Keith had been singling him out for reprimands. He had given him extra shifts. Now it seemed that Keith didn't even want him to be friends with the princess. A sense of injustice came over Lance. Why had Keith gotten the command? Lance was a year older and was just as good of a pilot. The potion conveniently blocked the memories of friendship and the accomplishments that Keith had achieved at the academy that warranted his advancement in rank. He walked straight over to the weapons wall and removed a knife and went to sit. He knew that Keith would come over to rub it in. When he did, he would satisfy this rage that burned within him. He didn't have to wait long.

"Going to be a sore loser, Lance?" Keith's voice rang through the gym as he stood looking down at Lance. "Yep, a sore loser. See you later, Lance." Keith turned and started walking away.

Standing, Lance called out, "Wait, Keith!"

Keith stopped and turned, "What is it? Haven't you had enough?" He watched as Lance walked towards him, a curiosity forming in him at what Lance would have to say. When Lance stopped within a foot of him, he began to grow irritated. "Enough, Lance. What do you want to say?"

"It's not what I want to say, it's what I want to do." With those words Lance let the towel drop off the knife he held in his uninjured right hand.

Too late, Keith realized his intent.

Grabbing Keith around the neck with his left hand, he pulled Keith to him and the knife in his right hand.

Keith felt like he was watching everything in slow motion. He should have been able to pull away, but this was something that he had not contemplated when he planned the fight. His eyes widened as he felt the knife plunge into his left side.

Lance took pleasure in the fact that he had surprised the commander. He always felt he knew everything. Well, he hadn't known about this. Stepping back he left the knife buried in Keith's side.

Surprised when Lance stepped back, Keith looked down at the knife. He knew better than to pull it out, but would Lance allow him to leave to find medical treatment? Not having a choice, he backed slowly toward the door and the com unit. If Lance came at him, he'd have to take the knife out so he'd have a weapon and so that he wouldn't incur more internal injuries in a scuffle. Locking eyes with Lance, he knew he'd be pulling out the knife. The question in Keith's mind now was, would he be leaving the gym alive…


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.

**Rating/Setting: **Rated T for mild swearing and some violence. Setting is DotU.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Okay, so I've read this like 22 times and tonight as I look over the published chapter 5 so that I can read chapter 6 again before publishing tomorrow... I see ERRORS! I'm sure there are more than the couple I fixed. But if you have update emails to this story... it's the same chapter, just a couple of errors fixed that I just could't stand. ;-D

**Chapter Five**

Mere seconds before Lance came at him, Keith pulled the knife out of his side causing the spreading red stain on his tee shirt to grow at a faster rate. The handle of the knife was slippery and his grip on it was tenuous as Lance barreled into him, knocking him to the ground. Keith hit the floor hard with no opportunity to break his fall. The impact on his head caused him to black out for several seconds. Blinking rapidly and trying to focus, Keith saw that the knife was now in Lance's hand and that Lance was sitting on his chest. Keith's fighting knowledge told him that there was no getting out of this with the injuries that he had. The look in his eyes was resigned.

Lance had been smiling as he had positioned himself on Keith's chest and taken the knife for his own again. He looked at the knife for a moment. It had served its purpose, he would use his hands to weaken Keith even further. He tossed the knife out of reach and turned to watch the myriad of emotions play across Keith's face. Watching him made his smile grow more. Soon, he thought. Soon he will realize that I'm the one in control now and that I call the shots. When the look of resignation came into Keith's eyes he took his first punch.

Putting up his arms, Keith tried to shield himself from the blows, but in his weakened state, more of them got through than not. Soon Keith's right eye was swollen shut and his nose was broken and bleeding.

The pounding didn't stop until Lance saw Keith's arms drop completely to the floor. He had beaten, broken, and defeated him. Breathing heavily, Lance looked at his unconscious friend beneath him. '_Friend?'_ The word flashed through his mind. Where did it come from? This man had been making his life hell… hadn't he? Looking at the blood on his hands, he remembered Keith being injured before protecting the princess. Memories of the fear he felt for his… friend, came unbidden into his mind. His labored breathing quickened even more as he tried to process the emotions and memories that were coming to him as he stood. Looking down at the bloody man that was lying on the floor, he realized that he needed time to think. But Keith didn't have time. Which memories, thoughts, and emotions were real? Walking toward the door in a daze he realized he couldn't take the chance. Looking back at Keith, he hit the emergency signal as he left the gym.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Earlier that morning, Allura had gone to find Coran in Castle Control. Expressing her concerns, she had asked for his opinions.

"I'm glad you came to me, Princess. I too have been concerned as I have noticed a growing agitation in the commander over the last week. Lion practice the other day was, well, I don't even have the words to describe it. I'll contact Galaxy Garrison today to get the orders for their evaluations."

The concern in Coran's voice matched the concern that she had. "Can you think of anything that happened Coran that could have caused this behavior? I've been racking my brain and have come up with nothing. We haven't been on any missions in the last month and nothing unusual has happened."

Coran was touched at the concern Allura was showing. He knew that she was close to both men and perhaps even had stronger feelings for one of them. The only cause that he could think of was not one that she would like. "The only thing that I can think of… is Haggar."

"Haggar?! Do you think that she has put a spell on them? When and where could she have done it?" Allura was putting the questions out there and not allowing Coran a chance to answer.

Putting his hands gently on her shoulders, he responded, "Princess, I don't know anything for sure. It is just the only thing I can think of to explain why two men who are like brothers would turn on each other so quickly."

"Coran, will you make the call to Garrison headquarters now? With the way things have been escalating," she paused here thinking of the kiss that Keith had given her last night, "I'm afraid one or both of them may do something rash."

"Of course, Princess, I'll make-" Coran didn't finish the sentence as the emergency alarm sounded. Rushing to the com panel he said, "It's coming from the gym! What could be going on there?" Silencing the audio of the alarm, the flashing lights continued.

A dark feeling took over Allura as she heard the alarm. She thought her comment about Lance and Keith doing something rash was related to the current alarms. Without even speaking to Coran, she rushed from the room.

"Allura, wait! It's not safe for you to go there alone! We don't know what is going on!" Signaling one of the other attendants to take over, he ran from the room after her. "Wait for me, Princess!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hunk arrived at the gym first, entering it with his blaster drawn. Scanning the room, he saw no threats but kept his blaster ready. His eyes came to rest on the body on the floor. Holstering his weapon, he ran over to the prone figure that he recognized as his friend and commander. Hitting his com unit, he called for immediate medical help and began to apply pressure to the side wound. Looking around, Hunk tried to figure out what happened.

Pidge and guards arrived shortly thereafter and he sent the guards to look for an intruder leaving the castle. He wasn't convinced it was an intruder however.

"What happened, Hunk?" Pidge asked frantically as he knelt next to Keith. "Who could have done this to Keith? Who would have wanted to do this?" Raising his eyes to Hunk, he asked, "Lotor?"

"I don't think so little buddy, at least not directly. I'm sure he would have triggered the sensors, plus, he would never have sounded the alarm. Keith didn't set off that alarm and I'm sure he would have died in here if it hadn't been." Hunk didn't get to say more as the princess rushed in, but he saw Pidge looking around to take in the scene.

"Ohhhhhh! Hunk! Is he dead?" She asked, dropping to the floor beside Pidge and Keith's prone body. Taking in his injuries, she knew they were serious. Relief flooded her as the medical staff came rushing in.

The Force members and Coran moved to the side allowing the staff to do their job. A gurney was rolled in a moment later and they loaded Keith on to it to rush him to surgery.

Coran was surprised when Allura didn't immediately follow the staff. But he understood when she spoke, and it was something that saddened him.

"Hunk, have you seen Lance?"

"No, I haven't, Princess."

"What are you guys saying?" Pidge asked. "Are you saying that Lance did this to Keith? I don't believe it, they're like brothers!"

Turning to his friend, Hunk said, "They are, Pidge, but something has been going on with our friends causing them to not act like themselves."

"Allura and I were talking this morning. We were going to get the Garrison to order evaluations for both of them. I voiced a concern to her that Doom may have something to do with their personality change." Coran noticed that Hunk seemed unsurprised by this thought. Obviously, he had come to a similar conclusion himself.

Hunk walked over to the sparring ring and took in the water bottles and blood on the mat. "I think they were sparring this morning and it escalated as one or both were leaving." He shook his head as he looked around. "Whatever happens, we need to keep in mind that Lance sounded the alarm." Hunk didn't mention the fact that Keith could be dying because Lance stabbed him. That was something they were all very aware of.

Allura spoke up, "As much as I want to go wait for Keith to get out of surgery, I think we all need to search for Lance."

"Princess, I don't think you should be a part of the search team, Lance it too volatile." Coran said with concern.

"I'll be fine Coran, the aggression was always between Lance and Keith, not me." But even as she said it, her face flushed some as she remembered the rough kiss Keith had given her just last night. Please let him live she thought. She didn't want that kiss to be her last memory of him.

The men watching her knew that there was more to the story but she obviously didn't want to share it.

"I think the princess is correct, Coran. I think Pidge and I could use all the help we can get." Seeing Coran nod, Hunk continued. "Pidge, check to see if Lance has his com unit still on."

Walking over to a nearby computer station, Pidge brought up the needed information. "It's still on!" Pidge yelled, but then he continued with a defeated tone, "But it's in this room." Glancing over near the ring he said, "I believe we'll find it in that bag over there."

Walking over to it, Coran pulled the device out and tossed it on top of the bag. "Well, we'll just have to search for him the old-fashioned way. I'll go back to Castle Control and pull the video footage from when the alarm sounded."

"Sounds good, Coran." Hunk was taking on his role as third in command of the team. It wasn't a role that he cared for or that he had to exercise very often, but he would do it. "Pidge, you and Princess go check out the routes to Red Lion. We'd know if he'd launched, but perhaps he's hiding out there or along the way." He waited for their acknowledgement and then said, "I'm going to check out Lance's room. Maybe there is a clue there to where he's gone or what has caused him to act this way. Coran, we'll be waiting to hear from you. Let us know if you have news on Keith."

Everyone quickly left the bloody scene in the gym for their assigned task. Each was glad that they had something to do other than sit in the med bay waiting room.

Hunk was scratching his head and ruminating over the events of the last week as he entered Lance's room. He stopped short as he heard the shower turn off.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.

**Rating/Setting: **Rated T for mild swearing and some violence. Setting is DotU.

**Chapter Six**

Hunk pulled his blaster out, but kept it at his side. He waited for the person, which he believed to be Lance, to exit the bathroom. Just a few moments later, Lance came out wearing his pants and drying his hair. Hunk noticed the bruising and swelling on his body. It appeared that Keith gave as good as he got until the end.

Lance looked without surprise at Hunk. Plopping down in a chair and waving Hunk toward the opposite one, he spoke first. "Is he alive?" His voice was monotone and devoid of emotion.

"Yeah, but he's in surgery. What the hell is going on man?" Hunk holstered the blaster and sat down. He could sense the confusion and fear in his friend.

Balling up the towel that he had been drying his hair with; he threw it toward the hamper. "I wish I knew. Keith called me last night and proposed that we take out our frustrations in the ring this morning. We had gone a few rounds when I had to tap out and a rage I had never felt before came over me. I took the knife from the wall and I… he didn't know I had it... until it was too late." Looking distraught, he continued with his head in his hands, "When I pushed the knife into him… it felt good."

Hunk stared at Lance, not knowing what to say. Something was wrong, very wrong. He listened as Lance continued.

"When I took him down and hit him with my bare fists, I felt my anger leaving me. Once Keith was… once he was… unresponsive, I realized that we had been friends." He stopped here and looked at Hunk with sadness. "We were good friends, weren't we?" There was no mistaking the confusion in his voice and the plea to help him understand.

"You still are, Lance. Best of friends, like brothers. There is nothing you wouldn't do for each other." Hunk watched as Lance hung his head. "We need to get you to the medical bay to find out what's going on with you. We think that Haggar might have put the both of you under some kind of spell."

Lance stood up and moved toward his dresser to find a shirt. "Haggar? You think she's behind this?"

"It's not just me, all of us think that. This isn't you, you have to believe me."

"How can I go to the med bay? Keith's there. He could die and it would be my fault!" Lance slammed his hands down on his dresser. "They'll arrest me when I walk in. It's what I deserve."

Walking over and putting a hand on his shoulder, Hunk said, "They won't arrest you, I'll explain. We need to get you to a doctor to see what they did to you."

Lance looked in the mirror above the dresser at his friend and nodded. Grabbing his shirt, he put it on and followed him out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hunk had called Coran on the com when they left and he alerted Pidge and Allura to their location. Lance was sitting on a bed in the medical bay having blood drawn when they arrived.

Lance couldn't look Allura in the eye. Knowing the feelings she had for Keith, she had to be one that was the angriest at him. He could see her boots in front of him as he sat looking down. Blood was also on the knees of her pants. Keith's blood. Blood he caused to be spilled. "Princess… I don't know what to say." Looking up into her eyes, he saw no reproach or anger. He was surprised when she pulled him into an embrace.

"Lance, it wasn't you. It wasn't Keith either. Someone did something to both of you!" Pulling back, she looked into his eyes. "We're going to find out what it is. The doctors said that they also took some blood from Keith to analyze as well. They hope to have some results in a few hours."

It was a very solemn and quiet group that sat in the waiting room. A few hours later, Dr. Gorma came in and everyone stood, not saying anything.

Dr. Gorma pinched the bridge of his nose before he spoke. It had been a tedious surgery and he was tired. "The commander lost a lot of blood. We're giving him a transfusion, but he'll still be weak from the blood loss. Luckily, the knife missed his spleen by less than inch, but it did puncture his colon. We had to repair the cut and cleanse the abdominal cavity. He'll be on some strong antibiotics for a few days to keep infection away, but he should be okay. He has a number of bruises, a few cuts that required stitches, and a broken nose. All of which are minor." The doctor glanced around the room at the concerned faces. His gaze came to rest on Lt. McClain who had paled considerably during his description of the injury and the surgery. Walking to stand in front of the lieutenant, he said, "We've analyzed both your blood sample and the commander's."

Lance looked hopefully at the doctor. He wanted reassurance that he wasn't acting on his own volition. Over the past couple of hours, his memories of his friendship with Keith were coming back, which only made him feel worse about what happened.

Putting a hand on Lance's shoulder, he said, "There was a chemical agent in both of your blood streams. They weren't exactly the same but they were not naturally occurring. The chemical also seems to be dissipating, indicating that its effects are temporary."

Coran asked, "Can you tell how long ago the chemical was introduced to their systems?" If Keith and Lance had been drugged, it could mean a spy in the castle. If that were the case, none of them were safe until he or she was caught.

"Based on the chemical structure of the agent, I would say it was probably introduced anywhere from a week to two weeks ago." Looking at Lance he said, "When did you first notice your increased emotional responses?"

Taking a moment to look back over the last two weeks, he said, "I'd say it was last Tuesday, so that would be a week."

Wanting to be sure, Pidge said, "I didn't notice a change in your behavior or Keith's until Friday. Are you sure?"

Smiling sadly at Pidge, he responded, "I could control it up until that point, but I can look back see that my nerves began to fray starting on Tuesday."

"That settles it; I'll pull castle surveillance, duty rosters, changes in personnel or schedules, and anything else that might shed light on what happened. I'll start with Tuesday's information and work back from there." Nodding at the group, Coran bowed and left to start on his task.

Dr. Gorma watched Coran exit the room and then said to the team, "I'll take my leave now, Princess."

"Wait, Doctor. When will Keith be able to receive visitors?" Allura was twisting her hands as she spoke. Keith had looked so broken on the gym floor, she just wanted to see for herself that he was all right.

"He could receive visitors in two hours, but I'd rather that you wait four. I think he needs to process what is going on. When you do see him, I have conditions." When all eyes were focused on him, he continued. "He needs rest, and he will be on pain medication. Allow him to sleep without asking a lot of questions. Save those for tomorrow." Looking over the group, everyone had blood stained clothing except for Lance. "Next, go clean up. I don't want you wearing bloody clothes to visit with my patient. I'm sure that seeing his blood on your clothes won't make him feel any better." Sighing, he added, "And I'm sorry, Lieutenant, until the commander is fully awake and has been told about what has occurred, it is best that you not be in the room with him."

Nodding, Lance said, "I understand, Doctor. His last memories of me are my stabbing him and then beating him into unconsciousness. I wouldn't want to wake up in the hospital and see the face of the person that put me there standing by my bed."

"Thank you for understanding, Lieutenant. As soon as it has been explained to the commander, you can visit. Also, I want you to report to the nurse's station so that they can give you a physical."

"No thanks doc, I'm good."

"No, you're not. I can tell by your movements that you have a cracked rib at the very least." He was rewarded by Lance turning away, indicating that the doctor had been correct in his visual assessment. Softening his voice, he said, "Don't punish yourself this way, Lance, Keith wouldn't want you to. I would also like you to rest here while we monitor your vital signs to make sure that there are no lasting effects from the drug." Receiving a nod of agreement, Gorma left the room.

The team went to clean up, agreeing to meet back wherever Lance was in three hours. Lance headed toward the nurse's station as he agreed to. His thoughts alternating between his true memories and the drug induced happenings of the last week. Keith was the brother he never had, and he had tried to kill him. A cracked, fractured, or broken rib was nothing compared to that, his punishment should be much more severe.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.

**Rating/Setting: **Rated T for mild swearing and some violence. Setting is DotU.

**Author's Notes:** I've had several reviewers comment on the calmness of the players in this story considering the events. Perhaps I'm just taking the easy way out, but then I also believe it is plausible. While it won't explain Allura's calmness, the fact that Lance, Hunk, and Pidge probably all received training regarding handling stress and the death of other soldiers around them. I think they are able to compartmentalize some of their emotions to deal with the situation at hand. Now after the matter... that may be different. After Retaliation, Unbroken, and Ready to Engage, I'm not looking for more PTSD stories, although this would be a good one. Things will probably progress much faster than a real-life situation, so suspend reality for me. ;-) As for Lance and his calmness... he's trying to figure everything out, what is real, what isn't, and how is he going to live with himself. While he may be outwardly calm but somewhat confused in behavior... on the inside, I think he's shut down as he's working through this. Also - I KNOW this would be the perfect time for Doom to attack, but I didn't want to get into a robeast battle when I wanted to deal with the relationships. So as I said, suspend reality a little for me. ;-) I hope this provides a little insight into my thought process for the story. And I hope you enjoy the last 3 chapters (9 total).

**Chapter Seven**

Allura arrived at Lance's room early, but she didn't mind as she wanted some time to talk to him alone. Looking at the guard on duty outside his door, she sighed. It was just a precaution to make sure he didn't have a sudden relapse or go off alone in his confused state. The guards would be outside whatever rooms that Lance and Keith were in until Gorma released them. Knowing it was all for their well-being, Allura drew a breath before she entered the room of her friend. She walked in to find Lance leaning back in a chair staring blankly at the ceiling instead of lying in the bed. Making a mental note to speak to Pidge and Hunk, she greeted him. He probably didn't need to be alone wherever he was for a few days due to the stress that he had been under. He hadn't given much of a response to her greeting, so she worked to make him converse with her. "What was your report from your physical?"

Sitting up, he took a long look at her but ignored her question. "I know you have feelings for Keith." He stopped to watch her blush before he continued. "Can you honestly say that you can forgive me for what I did?"

Boy, he really was messed up if he thought she couldn't forgive him for something he couldn't control. Of course she had been angry initialy, but she had also been angry at Keith. She'd had several hours to think about what had happened. Lance was going to need a lot of reassuring. Some would wonder how she could do it... reassure him after what he had just done. But looking at the man in front of her, she knew this wasn't the man that had been angry and on edge for the last week. This was her friend and he would beat himself up for the two of them. She didn't need to add to it. Thinking about it, she also wondered what Keith would be like once he was lucid. Walking over, she pulled a chair up so she sat directly in front of him and took his hands in hers, feeling the roughness of his skin beneath hers. Making sure to maintain eye contact, she said, "Lance, there isn't anything for me to forgive. Are you going to hold your injuries against Keith?"

Snorting, he pulled his hands from hers as he replied, "How can I hold my measly injuries up against what I did to him?"

"Lance, it's not about the injuries, it's about the fact that neither of you could control your emotions. You both did things that went against who you really are."

"That's easy to say because you weren't the object of the out of control emotion." Lance watched as her eyes dropped and a blush came to her face. "Wait," he asked with concern. "Did I do something to you, Allura?"

Keeping her eyes averted, "No, Lance, not you. It was Keith." She raised her eyes to his. "Your emotion seemed to be anger. I think his was… jealousy."

Lance's eyes widened. "Jealousy? He was jealous about me being with you? What the hell was he thinking?" And then it dawned on him and he nodded. "I understand. He wasn't thinking, because it wasn't him." Watching her closely, he asked, "Can I ask what he did?"

Keeping her eyes on their hands, she nodded and began. "Last night he confronted me on the balcony overlooking the lake. He had been following me earlier and had heard me call you on the com unit. He thought we were having a romantic meeting."

Lance snorted. "Obviously he didn't stay to hear what happened, because that was anything but romantic."

Glancing shyly up at him, she continued, "He accused us of playing him for a fool and that I had led him on. He basically said he was going to take what he knew I had given you. He kissed me, and he kissed me hard." Her voice took on a sad quality. "I've dreamed about kissing him and that kiss was more like what I would expect from Lotor."

"Allura, you have to know that he would never have dreamed-"

Breaking in, she said, "Yes, I know. It wasn't him. When he remembers his actions, as you have, can you imagine the self-loathing he will feel? He will pull further away from me. While I know that he will forgive the terrible interactions that the two of you had, he will have a hard time forgiving his actions towards me."

"You're right. It is going to be hard. It will be hard for both Keith and myself." He had a better idea of what was ahead for both of them now. If Keith was able to forgive him, maybe they could work through this together.

They both turned at the sound of the door opening and saw Pidge and Hunk both enter together. They sat around talking about what Coran had learned. There wasn't anything unusual in the footage or the schedule for the day that Lance started having his feelings. So Coran was moving back a day to Monday's footage and schedule. By this time, the four hour wait had passed and Hunk asked, "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Smiling, Allura stood up but looked back to Lance. "One of us will come back and tell you how he's doing." Taking his hand, she gave it one last squeeze. Letting go, she joined Pidge and Hunk as they left the room. On the way to Keith's room she discussed her idea of not leaving Lance alone until he had a better grip on his emotions. "I, of course, can help some during the day, but one of you fellas will have to convince him about having a roommate at night. I'm sure he's going to balk at that."

Pidge thoughtfully said, "Maybe not if we tell him that Keith will have one as well."

"That's a great idea, Pidge!" Allura gave him a pat on the back as they neared Keith's door. They all grew quiet as they stopped outside the door. Drawing a deep breath, Allura opened the door and walked in.

Keith heard the door open. Everything seemed very foggy to him. Not just with his vision, but also with his memories. He had been trying to process everything since he had come too. Opening his eyes a little, he saw three of his friends and keyed in on that. "Where's Lance?" He saw them all look at each other apprehensively. Confused memories of fighting with Lance and almost dislocating his arm fought with the truth that Lance was his friend. There were other memories that didn't make sense either. He had memories of kissing Allura, being jealous of Lance, and his last memories were of Lance stabbing him and beating him senseless. What the hell was going on? "Someone please talk to me. I'm so confused. I have these awful memories… memories that I hope aren't true. But I'm afraid they are since I'm in the hospital."

Hunk moved over to stand next to the bed. What he had to say wouldn't be easy, but Keith had to know what was going on. "Here's what we know for certain and a little of what we suspect." With that he launched into a shortened version of the last week. He was afraid that Dr. Gorma would come in at any moment and toss them out and then Keith would be left with more questions than answers. He finished his synopsis and ended with, "So Lance is in the other room. Dr. Gorma didn't want you to freak out seeing the guy that stabbed you hovering over your bed. But Keith, the drug is out of his system. He's back to being…" Hunk was going to say 'normal,' but then the Lance in the other room was too troubled to be the 'normal' Lance. "Well, he's not homicidal."

Keith smiled a little at that. "I understand. I don't feel 'normal' myself right now and you will all be glad to know that I'm not feeling 'homicidal' either." Seeing that he had given them some relief with that comment he said, "I'd like to see him if he's willing to see me." The smiles on Hunk's and Pidge's faces told him that this was something they wanted, but there was someone he needed to talk to first. His fingers played with the sheet that covered him. Fidgeting was not something that he normally did, but he was nervous about what he was getting ready to learn. "Before you send him in, I'd like to talk to the princess. Alone."

Hunk and Pidge gave a look at the princess and Pidge replied for the two of them. "Sure thing, Cap'n. We'll go fill Lance in before he comes over."

Keith gave them a nod of thanks and then turned his eyes to Allura.

The princess looked at Keith as he sat partially elevated in the hospital bed. His normally healthy complexion was so pale, that he didn't have much more color than the sheet that covered him. Her eyes strayed to the bag of blood hanging by his bedside before returning to his face. Both of his eyes were black and there was a bandage over his left eye and another across his nose. The parts of his arms and chest that were exposed showed bruising and swelling. Hearing him chuckle, she looked at him with surprise.

"Are you through looking at all my bumps and bruises? I'm sure that I am a sight. Even with the pain meds, I still hurt."

"Yes, I'm through looking. It's just… I saw you after it happened on the floor of the gym. I was just making sure you were all right."

"Yeah? Well, I guess I'll be all right. My question for you is, are we all right? I have an awful memory related to you." He looked down at the bed. "I'm hoping that it didn't happen, but I'm afraid it did." Looking back up at her, he asked the questions that had been haunting him since he had come to. "Did I accuse you of being with Lance and then kiss you?"

Keeping her eyes on his and walking over to take his hand, she said, "Yes." Watching his eyes close and seeing his chest rise with a deep breath, she added, "I had already determined that you and Lance were not yourselves. I know you would not have done those things if you hadn't been drugged."

Keith opened his eyes to gaze at her. "It's going to be hard for me to forget how I treated you."

"It's going to be hard for me to forget as well." She had his attention. "I have dreamed of kissing you for months and that kiss was not what I expected or wanted. When you are well, I expect you to give me a proper kiss."

He was almost speechless. She had dreamed of kissing him? She expected him to kiss her when he was well? This was not the reaction he had expected. "I… um… well…"

"The proper response would be, 'Of course I will, Princess.'" Allura looked expectantly at him.

"I… of course I will, Princess." He didn't know how else to respond.

Laying his hand on the bed she said, "I'll go get Lance and then you need to sleep."

She was at the door when he responded, "How am I supposed to sleep now?" She gave him a quick glance as she put a hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. Closing his eyes, he thought of her request. It was obvious she didn't hold it against him…

He heard a noise and opened his eyes to see Lance standing in the doorway. Even though he knew he was safe, his body reacted to seeing the person that had put him in this bed. For about thirty seconds, his breathing quickened and his heart raced and then both settled back into their normal rhythms. They looked at each other in silence for about a minute before Keith spoke. "They told me that you weren't homicidal, but I think you may be killing me with your silence."

"Keith… I don't know where to start. I don't know how to begin to say I'm sorry-"

Breaking in, Keith said, "Then don't. If my memories are true, I treated you badly and acted like an all-around jerk."

"You can let it go? You can forgive what I did to you?" He could tell that Keith was tiring rapidly. He had been processing all those confusing memories in addition to his injuries.

"I can. Can you?"

"Of course I can, I mean, the injuries you gave me are insignificant compared to yours."

"That's not what I'm talking about Lance. I'm not talking about forgiving me. I knew you'd do that, it's who you are. You need to forgive yourself for what you did."

Lance turned and placed his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "I remember feeling pleased with myself as I slid that knife in your side. I **FELT** good when I was hitting you and you couldn't get up! How can I live with the knowledge that I took pleasure in that? Does it mean that there is some part of me that is capable of feeling that way? Was it me and not the drug?" His voice was shaking with anger at himself and agitation at what had happened. Taking a fist, he hit it against a wall.

The posted guard looked in and seeing nothing amiss, moved back out of sight.

Keith's fingers returned to playing with the sheet. His voice was quiet as he asked, "Did Allura tell you what I said and did to her?"

Wondering where Keith was going to take this, he turned to face him. "Yes, she did."

"I was so angry and jealous over what I thought had happened between the two of you. When I kissed her, I wanted to hurt her. I wanted the kiss to be rough. I wanted her to still feel the pressure of my lips after I left the balcony." His voice grew softer so that Lance had to move closer to the bed. "I thought that you… had done more. I considered taking… it crossed my mind to force her…."

"Keith…"

There was venom in his voice and self-loathing. "What does that say about me? What kind of man thinks that doing that is okay?"

"Actually, Keith, it makes me feel better." Lance pulled a chair closer to the bed. He saw the look of disbelief in Keith's eyes. "It makes me feel better because that isn't who you are. We've known each other since the first year in the academy and that's not you either. And if that's not you, then perhaps, the man that took pleasure in hurting you isn't really me."

Realization that they were both struggling with the same type of self-doubt made them realize they would have someone that understood what they were going through. It would make the hard journey back to 'normal' a little easier for both of them.

Looking at Lance, Keith said, "I guess we all have something dark buried in each of us, just waiting to find a release. I never want that to happen to me again, it's not who I want to be." The two friends looked at each other in silent understanding.

Glancing at his watch, Lance said, "Time to rest buddy. We'll be back when Dr. Gorma lets us."

When the door closed behind his friend, Keith's thoughts turned to how he had been drugged and who had caused this nightmare to begin. His thoughts as he fell asleep were of changes he had noticed last Monday…


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.

**Rating/Setting: **Rated T for mild swearing and some violence. Setting is DotU.

**Author's Notes:** For those of you who suspended reality, thanks! ;-) The last chapter was really long, this is pretty short... sorry about that.

**Chapter Eight**

Lotor slammed his fist on the table making several bottles turn over. The glimpses he had seen in the crystal ball had made him giddy with delight at first. The sight of the Voltron Force in disarray and then seeing the arrogant commander and the cocky lieutenant beat each other to within an inch of their lives was priceless. But then the lieutenant had sounded the alarm that brought medical care to Kogane. He had survived. Knowing their penchant for trust and forgiveness, he had little doubt that they would bond over this, making them even closer. The thought made him sick. They were a disgusting group. Turning to Haggar he fumed, "What does the spy say?"

"He is saying very little, my prince. The Arusians know that Kogane and McClain were drugged and they are looking for a spy. He is not in contact in the hopes that they won't detect him."

"Hrmff. He doesn't stand a chance. They will be like my father with a goblet of wine. They won't stop until they are through. This spy has spent a lot of time in the castle, so he may still be of use. Have him flee into the countryside. We'll send a coffin ship to pick him up."

Haggar was surprised that Lotor hadn't thrown one of his famous tantrums at the plan's failure. Perhaps he was growing up… but then she looked at her table with the overturned bottles and beakers… and thought, then again, maybe he wasn't.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Keith woke up the next morning, he reached for the com unit. "Coran, I think I have a clue to the spy. I remember seeing a change to the kitchen staff last Monday. One of the regulars had taken ill and a substitute filled in on the wait staff. He would have had access to the food."

"Yes, Commander, we realized this change late last night and didn't want to wake you. We were going to inform you this morning, but it seems that you figured it out faster than we did. We tried to locate the substitute, whose name is Marcus, but he disappeared from his village yesterday afternoon."

Keith sighed. "We'll have to look at our security protocols, Coran. How did we not determine that he wasn't loyal to Arus when he went through his background check?"

"I don't know, Commander, but I will be happy to review the background check protocol with you. Obviously, we must have some type of flaw. But first, get well. I'll go ahead and start reviewing all of the current staff."

"You know you could bring me a data pad and I could start-"

"Are you crazy, Commander? Do you think I want Dr. Gorma angry at me? Get out of the hospital and I'll take you up on your offer."

Keith heard a sound at the door and saw Allura standing in the doorway smiling. "Um, okay, Coran. I hope to be out soon. I have obligations to fulfill after all, so I don't want to stay in here too long."

"Understood, Commander, Coran out."

Keith put down his com and looked at the blushing princess.

"Really, Keith, is kissing me just an 'obligation to fulfill'?" Allura moved closer to the bed and sat on the edge.

Oh how he wished he wasn't in pain from his injury. He'd love to fulfill that obligation right now. "Well, I didn't think Coran would respond positively to me if I had indicated that I wanted to be out so that I could passionately kiss the Crown Princess of Arus the way she deserves to be kissed." He was surprised when she didn't blush more but leaned in closer to him.

"I'll be counting the days until you are out." Surprised at her own boldness, she thought about stealing a kiss right now, but she was intrigued that Keith might be planning something romantic. She wanted her first real kiss with him to be special and while kissing him in the hospital might be memorable, she wanted to be able to wrap her arms around him. Sighing, she pulled back and joked. "I'll check with Dr. Gorma today to see when you'll be out."

Keith laughed and then clutched at his side. "Be sure to let me know what he says, I'm very interested in that myself!"

Allura stayed with him for over an hour. They talked about a lot of things that didn't deal with diplomacy, Doom, or the Lions. When she left, he felt her absence more keenly than ever before. She was working her way even deeper into his heart. He closed his eyes and began planning the events around the special kiss.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.

**Rating/Setting: **Rated T for mild swearing and some violence. Setting is DotU.

**Author's Notes:** Well, we have come to the end of the story. For some of you it worked, for some of you it may have been too simplistic. But I hope that for all you read it to the end, that you enjoyed it flaws and all. ;-D

**Chapter Nine**

Keith woke up on his cot and checked the time. His internal clock had woke him up saying it was time to get ready for Lion practice. Gathering his things from beside the cot, he glanced over to see Lance was still sleeping. Of course, Lance wasn't the early riser that Keith was, so once again, he'd probably cut it close to being late for practice. It had been eight weeks since the incident that had hospitalized him. Ever since he had been released, he and Lance had been roommates - once it was determined that the drugs were completely out of their systems. It seemed that the team was concerned about their mental state, even though they were both seeing the psychiatrist that Dr. Gorma had brought in from the southern province. So to appease everyone, they had agreed to this. One week Lance slept on a cot in Keith's room and the next Keith did the same in Lance's room. They had alternated every week and this was the last one.

Taking one last look around the room, he headed out for his own room down the hall to shower and dress. It had been reminiscent of their Academy days where they had shared a room, but they were grown men now who liked having their space. Lance also told Keith that it had put a real big damper on his love life. He smiled thinking about that comment but then his smile faded. Lance's comment had been mostly bluster a few weeks ago, as on more than one night Keith had had to awaken him from a nightmare. When he woke up, he would breathe rapidly and look Keith over for some imaginary wound and then collapse back against the pillows when he saw Keith was fine. He hadn't had one of those nightmares in two weeks, which is why they were going back to solo bunking. Now Keith's nightmares were more silent and he had rarely caused Lance to awaken. The nightmares were not of the beating he took from Lance but of Allura and the forced kiss… and the thoughts that he had had of doing more when he was in that drugged state. He didn't have the nightmares often, but they were still there. Keith had told the psychiatrist of Allura's request for a kiss. Due to the doctor/patient confidentiality, he felt safe doing so. The doctor had indicated that granting the princess' request might help ease his nightmares even more by replacing those unwanted mental images with pleasant real ones.

Today was the day that he would create those pleasant images.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Allura was a little frustrated as she returned from morning Lion practice to shower and change. It had been eight weeks, eight weeks since Keith's injury andover a month since his release from the medical wing. Not once had he tried to be alone with her or try to kiss her. In fact, one of the rare times they had been alone, she had tried to kiss him and he had put a finger on her lips and said, "Not yet." The wait was torturing her.

Entering her room, she walked to her vanity table that was neatly arrayed with various cosmetics, brushes, and a vase of flowers. She pulled the pin to release her hair from its confining bun and shook it free so that her blonde curls tumbled around her shoulders. It was as she dropped the pin in a tray that she noticed the flowers in the vase were not the same ones from this morning. These flowers were her favorite. The ones that grew on the cliff side and were hard to pick. A white envelope with her name on it was propped against the crystal vase. Sinking down to the bench in front of the vanity, she reached out to take the note. The handwriting was scratchy and she knew it was Keith's. While he would never win any awards for penmanship, he knew how to make a girl feel special. She opened the note and read:

"Allura,  
I know that you've been impatient with me and the fulfilling of my 'obligation.' But I think you know that it isn't any obligation for me.

Meet me at the balcony at 12:00.  
Keith"

Holding the note close to her breast, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She noticed the sparkle in her eyes and the joy in her smile. Today was the day. Her eyes widened as she looked at herself. Oh! What would she wear?! Jumping up from the vanity, she rushed into her dressing room to start her search.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Promptly at 12:00, Allura walked onto the balcony overlooking Castle Lake. There could be no doubting that this was the balcony he was talking about. She looked out across the lake to Black Lion and closed her eyes.

From an alcove, Keith watched Allura walk out onto the balcony. After some time on the balcony, he planned to take her out for a picnic. He had wanted to go horseback riding or out in a rowboat, but the doctor had said to wait a few more weeks for those activities. So he was limited to kissing and a picnic. Smiling to himself, he decided he could live with that. He walked over to the balcony door and saw her standing near the rail. She was wearing a blue sundress, a lightweight yellow sweater, and white sandals. "Beautiful."

Allura's head snapped around. "Keith!" She saw that he was dressed casually as well, wearing jeans and a pale yellow tee shirt. Her heart skipped a beat as her desire to be held by him became almost overwhelming.

Walking up so that he was an arm's length away, he repeated his compliment. "You look beautiful, Allura."

Suddenly, she was shy and she didn't want to be. "Thank you, Keith." It came out sounding formal and she bit her lip.

He laughed at her and smiled, "Where's the Allura that has tried to kiss me several times?" His voice softened, "You haven't changed your mind have you?"

She saw his eyes searching hers and knew that he was reliving that awful kiss. He doubted that she wanted this. Reaching out a hand, she laid it on his chest and she could feel that his heart was beating as rapidly as hers. "I haven't changed my mind at all. In fact, I want a kiss from you more than anything."

Not breaking eye contact, he moved closer with one arm going around her to rest on the small of her back.

Allura's breathing was rapid and she felt on fire from the touch of his hand along her back. Melting against him, she moved a hand from his chest to his face.

The feel of Allura in his arms was more intoxicating than he had imagined. Her hand on his chest sent little tongues of flame into his skin. When she moved her hand from his chest to his face, his lips parted as his breathing became more ragged. Things didn't improve as her gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips and her fingers followed suit.

Taking her finger, she ran it back and forth along his lower lip mesmorized at the sensations coursing through her blood. Allura felt like every nerve ending in her body was electrified.

Keith let out a low moan at the torture she was putting him through without even knowing it. He had wanted to be soft and gentle with her since the last kiss was nothing like that. But the sensual feelings he was currently having wouldn't allow for it if he didn't do soemthing himself. Reaching up, he gently took her hand and guided it to his neck. He felt her fingers on his bare skin, tracing fire along his skin as her hand made it's way into his hair. Keith could feel her urgency as she gently pulled at his hair, trying to bring his lips down to hers. But he wasn't ready yet, he would torture her as she had him. Looking at her lips, he watched as they opened and her tongue moved across her lower lip. Tracing her lower lip with his finger, he planned to delay the kiss. Then sensually, her tongue darted out to lick his finger. That was it, his control broke and he could only pray that the sensations he generated with this kiss would be far different from those of the last one. Moving his hand from her face to the back of her neck, he let her pull his head down to her lips.

Allura felt him finally give in to her pull and when their lips met, it wasn't with any of the pressure of anger or possession that had filled their previous kiss. This was one full of mutual passion and love. Her lips were already open when they touched and his opened with the invitation of hers. This was no chaste kiss from the beginning and that satisfied both of them.

Pulling back a little, Keith looked into her eyes and saw his emotions reflected back at him. Letting out a low growl he leaned into her for a second kiss filled with passion to match the first one. Kissing Allura could become quite an addiction he decided as he moved his mouth from her lips to the side of her throat.

Her lips parted with a moan as her fingers entwined in his hair. These kisses were so different from that first kiss; these made her want more, so much more.

In between kisses, Keith looked once again into her eyes and saw the mirror of what he felt -love. That was what he saw. That and desire. He made a decision then, he would give into the love and the desire he felt for her. She had seen him at his worst - filled with an unnatural and unwarranted jealousy. In spite of it, she still loved him for who he really was. The battle between him and the expectations of those who expected a royal suitor would be large and unpleasant at the least. And as he gave in to the temptation of her lips yet again, he knew that the fight for her hand would be worth it.


End file.
